Comments regarding Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co.

I have ordered many many times from Baker Creek and every time has been a pleasant experience. After looking through these comments I decided to take a look through the "politics of food" forum, having never looked into that particular forum before ( but been part of the forums for a while). As for racist comments or offensive content, I haven't come across any yet, there are far too many topics to search through. As for seed quality, I have only had problems with one package of peppers out of the many I have ordered and was promptly compensated at no charge with seeds of my choosing but over all the seeds are all viable and of great quality and variety.
Perhaps Baker Creek has taken to closer monitoring of their forums and the comments posted? I hope so, for it would be discouraging to trust and appreciate a company with little moral standing, although I have faith that the negative practices described in this review would cease if only due to good business practices but I hope they would put a stop to any hurtful or offensive content because they are truly good people.

Baker Creek has been dependable for me and I have no negative experiences with them. I recommend them to friends and family as well as anyone looking for heirloom seed.

I am 70 years "young" so you know that I've eaten a lot of veggies in my lifetime and to me these new hybrids just don't measure up to heirloom varieties when it comes to taste, especially tomatoes. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds has everything you could ever want and they provide a quick turn around on your order with seeds that will produce quality plants. Take it from me and I've "been around the block" a few times, you cannot beat this company for service and seeds no matter how hard you try. I also recommend their books and magazines.

I think it’s probably just human nature that we tend to post comments about vendors when we have a problem with them. I certainly have done so here in the past. But when I put together my list of recommended seed suppliers for a Senior Gardening posting this year, I realized that I should make a positive comment here about each of our suppliers that have performed so well over the years.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds was a fairly recent “discovery” for us from Senior Gardening reader comments and Dave’s “Top 5” Garden Watchdog ratings. Their catalog is a work of art, and I especially enjoy the comments in it about their personal favorites...often based on their experience and flavor of the variety (See catalog listings for Tam Dew and Boule D'or.). I also appreciate that they continue to carry older varieties such as the original Sugar Snap pea.

I’ve not had reason to file a claim with Baker Creek, but when I wrote them offering a comment, I received a timely and informative response from them. They appear to be a class act.

//www.senior-gardening.com/features/suppliers.html

First time ordering seeds from this company and received order quickly- only 1 minor hiccup in receiving henderson's valentine pole bean instead of henderson's bush lima- an easy mistake to make which was promptly corrected. The value of Baker Creek's products of course reside in how they perform. I will amend my rating if seed germination, etc disappoint.

Baker Creek is one of my most preferred vendors for heirloom vegetable seed. I love the amazing amount of diversity in varieties that they offer and have never been disappointed with any of my orders. My only problem has been that my garden is not large enough to try all of the wonderful varieties they offer that I find interesting.

I have been purchasing seeds from Baker Creek for 4 years now. I have been to their garden show the first week in June for the past 3 years. And even got to speak with the owner Jere last year. Everyone I met there was very personable and professional. It is well worth your time to stop in and check them out if your in the area. You wont be disapointed!

I am very impressed with the seeds I have purchased, their commitment to heirloom and non GMO, and the company overall !

Just a few examples of the quality of the seeds purchased:

The True Gold corn seeds I planted ALWAYS come up strong and tall. The stalks are thick and sprout multiple thick roots, and the corn itself is the biggest, most filling and truely sweet corn I have ever tasted! It puts ALL the corn available in my area to shame!

The Chantenay Red Core Carrot is truely the best tasting carrot I have ever had! Great for juicing and stews! They grow quick and fat, and even the 3 weeks of 100 degree heat didnt affect them this year. Highly recommended carrot!

Im looking forward to planting their tomatoes and broccoli next year, and to the next garden show in June!

I hope this review helps out someone looking for quality, reasonably priced seeds. I believe we all must support a local American company such as this, that has quality and non GMO as top priorities!!!

And no I am not paid in any way for this review! I just believe when you find the best, you had better support it for your own healths sake, and the sake of future generations. DOWN WITH MONSANTO GMO!!!!

GO BAKER CREEK!!! THANKYOU FOR ALL YOU DO!!!

I have two issues. One, the seeds I bought had problems. The Sicilain radishes were supposed to be red but had high number of white roots, and even the red ones had long ugly roots not the perfect red globes they show in catalog. The Blue Hubbard squash were mostly okay, but several plants produced very bitter fruit. Secondly - why aren't they organic? They act organic and write about it in their Heirloom magazine, but don't have organic seeds. I read on a website that conventional seed uses even more toxic chemicals than conventional food because seed isn't considered food. Even if it is heirloom, conventional isn't good for the planet.

"On Sep 18, 2012 4:03 PM, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. responded with:

We apologize for any issues you had with your seeds, and would be happy to offer you replacement seeds or a refund for those seeds. Just contact us at seeds@rareseeds.com, and one of our customer care representatives will help you with this issue. As for your second issue, we receive our seeds from many different sources, so it is not possible for us to obtain "organic" status. Also, many of our growers grow organically but are too small or don't have the money or time to be certified. All of the varieties that we grow here on our farm in Missouri are grown without any chemicals."

Love this company! I bought 10 packets of seeds, they arrived in exactly one week, and they even put in a free gift! Very pleased with the service. Prices are great, and they have an enormous selection of heirloom varieties to choose from. I have not grown them yet, so I can't attest to the quality of seed yet.

I love ordering here, the seeds are always great, the service is fast, well packaged & I got a well thought out sample with my order.

The catalog is a work of art, it really makes garden planning fun.

Visited the seed company and found it amazing, even purchasing seeds as Christmas gifts for family members, and then coming home to share experience with family, and we sent in an order from the catalog shortly after our visit. I shared catalog with family. I tore pictures from catalog and framed them in barnboard frames for kitchen wall. I quess you could give them an "excellent" rating from my husband and I.

I've bought seeds from Baker Creek three times now, each time the package has arrived earlier than expected. I've had excellent germination from all of the seeds I've planted as well and I've even ended up with quite often more seeds than were advertised in each packet. Their site has been excessively useful to me, as there are lots of comments on most varieties of plants, and most people tend to mention where they tried to grow each plant and under what conditions. Thanks to those comments and Baker Creek's wide selection, the result of my first attempt at gardening was a successful, productive lush oasis that was worth tending even in 115 degree Phoenix weather. I might also mention that Baker Creek always sends a free seed packet along with your purchase. I made a note asking for something that would grow well in hot climates, and they sent me a cherry tomato that is said to be heat tolerant, so I think they took my request into account. Lastly, I should add that I made a mistake on my last order, and immediately emailed the company to see if they would change my order. I received a prompt reply that they had me covered, and a few days later I received the seeds I asked for. I will definitely use Baker Creek for all of my seed purchases in the future.

Have ordered seeds twice this year and never had any problems with mail delivery. Order arrived within 7 days. Most seeds germinated, as expected. I'll be ordering from them again, as their shipping rates are much lower than other seed companies.

I will be buying all my seeds from this company. They are very nice people with great attitudes. Fast service. I recommend them with the highest regards

Posted on June 13, 2012, updated June 21, 2012
Posted on June 6, 2012, updated June 13, 2012
I live near Wichita,KS, so I figured my order wouldn't take that long to arrive. I was wrong, took about 9 days. Not completely thrilled with that, but what can you do. I know Johnson's carries some of their seed, but not much. Other than the delay, my order was perfect. Can't speak of the quality of seed, as the pumpkins haven't sprouted,yet.

"On Jun 14, 2012 9:05 AM, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. responded with:

We aplogize for any problems you are having with the seeds you purchased from us! We meet the federal guidelines, and we do guarantee germination of our seeds. We would be happy to send you more of that seed, a different seed of your choice, or issue a refund for those seeds. We appreciate your order that we received on May 25th, that shipped on May 29th. An email has been sent to the address we have on file for you to see how we can help resolve this issue."

We had a FABULOUS experience ordering from Baker Creek. Our first order in the spring contained LOTS of seeds...our first year growing things like tomatoes and peppers from seed....plus lots of others...zinnias, pumpkins, cukes, fava beans and others.....It has gone fabulously.

The tomatoes are amazing and now planted in the garden, along with the peppers. The pumpkins and cukes were directly sown and have lush green leaves. The zinnias are sprouting so beautifully, that we ordered an extra variety and received within a couple of days. the fava beans are gorgeous.

I commend Baker Creek for working hard to end GMO's, and for their encouragement of "Grow it Forward".

We cannot say enough lovely things. You rock!

Wow, Extremely disapointed with the seeds I ordered from this company. I had such high hopes considering all the positive reviews. I'm serious when I say only about 20% of the seeds I ordered germinated. Thats even after I planted them a second time. I'm doing nothing different than previous years where I've had much success. Some seeds like the Sakata sweet melon and cucumbers didn't come up at all. I won't order here again. Disapointing

"On Jun 19, 2012 9:05 AM, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. responded with:

We apologize for the problems you are having with the seeds you purchased from us! We always have a successful germination test result on all of our seed on file before we offer it for sale, but there are many things that can happen to the seed between our store and the customer that can affect that seed. We do guarantee germination of our seeds. We would be happy to send you more of that seed, a different seed of your choice, or issue a refund for those seeds. An email has been sent to the address we have on file for you to see how we can help resolve this issue.

"

Posted on June 15, 2012, updated June 15, 2012
I ordered a lot of heirlloom seed packets from Baker Creek seed co. They said my order would come in 7-10 days .... it arrived in 6 days :) I am still waiting on my tomatoes, eggplants and peppers to sprout. But after only 1 week I have 4 white wonder watermelon plants about 1-2 inches high. I also have my Thai basil (lime flavored) that has two tiny sprouts. I do plant and germplasm research .(.especially rare and endangered). I am glad to have found a dependable source for rare seeds. They even send a free gift packet of seeds. Great selection .

I love Baker Creek Seed so much that a friend from high school thought that I worked for them! I talk about them so often on my website paisleycarrot.com that my friend thought for sure I was getting some monetary incentive. While I do not, I certainly reap the benefits of their excellent, quality seeds, knowledge, and good advice.

Posted on March 16, 2012, updated April 24, 2012
Posted on March 14, 2012, updated March 16, 2012
Posted on March 24, 2011, updated March 14, 2012
This was my first time placing an order with this company. They have much better prices than some of the other heirloom seed companies, and the shipping costs were much more reasonable. My order came quickly, and i received a free seed pack of flowers. It was a good experience and led me to placing a second order.

"On Mar 15, 2012 8:28 AM, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. responded with:

We apologize for the delay in answering your email. We would be happy to work with you to either replace the low germination seed or refund you for those packets. An email has been sent to you at this time."

Posted on April 14, 2010, updated April 23, 2012
I have been buying seeds from Baker Creek for years and I am a dedicated customer. I buy more seeds than I should so I have plenty of experience to say this company will go to the end of the world to please a customer. I have only had one experience with seed from this company that didn't germinate. I reported this to them and was given the option of getting a different type of seed or getting another package of the same variety! I also received a package of free seed and a hand written note thanking me for my business .

I recommend Baker Creek to anyone who asks and give them a 10 out of 10 for service, variety, germination rate, price, shipping and friendliness.

Very user friendly catalog, great prices and fast friendly service. Reading about this company, it was wonderful to know how serious they take their mission.
I recommend them very highly!

Excellent seeds. Almost 100% germination rate. Fast shipping. I have been very happy with this company, and am glad to be able to purchase GMO free heirloom vegetables/flowers/herbs.

My sister just ordered me ton of seeds from Baker Creek. I couldn't be happier. Came quickly, with a free seed sample and an apology for shipping late... which, she only ordered them a couple of days ago, so... their late is great :)
Lots of heirloom/rare seeds (some I haven't even heard of) were ordered for me. I am too excited.
Thanks!

I am so pleased with this company. Their seeds show excellent germination, even after several years. I have a lot of kinds from 2009 which are sprouting just fine.

I also ordered seeds this year and they came promptly--a week or less--and included a gift packet of Love-in-a-Mist Mixed Colors, which I was really pleased to get.

My husband and I visited Baker Creek in Mansfield, Missouri, along with the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum. (The two are both in Mansfield, but it is a fair drive between them. Worth it, though!) They have a pioneer village there with interesting things to see. We arrived very late in the day, so we only went to the seed store. Even though it was late, they allowed us to take as long as we wanted to pick out our seeds. They have so many wonderful kinds to choose from. I really recommend them!

I am very satisfied with this company. I recieved my seeds faster than I had expected and I can't wait to plant them :)

Posted on January 16, 2012, updated March 27, 2012
Extremely fast service- I ordered over 50 seed varieties (I am kind of a seed junkie) and they literally arrived within a week and mind you this was at peak season March time frame. I was impressed with the timeliness as well as quality of seed. So far I have only grown out a few of the varieties sent- I ended up being gone most of April. I will give an update regarding the progress of my seedlings this year. Thanks again!

Everything I ordered came quickly although I received an apology for late shipment. I even received a bonus pack of seed! : - ) One item was out of stock so I'll will order earlier next year so I can get some! I received a cash refund for the out of stock item! Wow! What great customer service. Don't know about the germanation rate yet, but since they have such wonderful customer service and really care about what they sell, I'm sure they will make it right if I have problems. Thank You Baker Creek!

This was my first experience with Baker Creek and I was very pleased with the seeds and the shipping. Although they had sent an apology with my seeds about the delay, I did not notice a delay. Everything looked very good, from the packaging to the seeds themselves. I look forward to seeing the great fruits and veggies I will be recieving after the sow of these wonderful seeds.

Posted on April 14, 2011, updated March 22, 2012
Great service and selection. My entire order arrived quicker than I expected and in excellent condition.

I was excited to just look through the catalog and now I have my seeds! I can't wait to start planting! I want to support companies that put our world ahead of the profit and I am content that this company is one of them. I plan to use them again next year.

I received my order very quickly and I am so very excited to plant my garden this year!! The cusomer service was excellent and the Heirloom Life Gardener book is beautiful and full of wonderful information! I am so thankful for companies like Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds who are preserving the future of our food!! :)

I had forgotten about Baker Creek until I saw them listed in the Watchdog 30. I had ordered from then many years ago and was quite pleased with their seed. At that time, there were a couple of seeds out of stock (I had ordered late in the season) and I really appreciated it when they sent a refund with the order in cash (no waiting for the credit card company).

After seeing Baker Creek listed here, I placed an order with them for 9 packs of seed on 3/7 and I received that order today (7 days later). Baker Creek also sent me a bonus pack of seed (thank you!) and an apology for the "delay" in shipping. Considering that most companies that take more than 7 days, I am thrilled with their "delay" time. I will be using Baker Creek as my primary source for vege seed next year. Thank you, Baker Creek, for the service, and thank you Dave's for the Watchdog 30.

Had ordered a few seeds but asked if my order could be placed on hold until I could speak with my wife. We decided to order a few more things which were added to our order with no problem. Everyone I spoke with was very pleasant and helpful. Great company with great products.

I ordered from Baker Creek for the 1st time March 6. I received the seeds on March 10, with an apology for the delay in delivery!
I am very pleased. Catalog is beautiful and informative. Lots of planting info on the seed packages also.

I ordered seeds from Baker Creek, their catalog and website promised that the seeds would be shipped in 4 to 5 days. I figured they meant after the check cleared the bank. 3 weeks after check cleared I still hadn't heard anything from them, so I called. First guy I talked with had trouble finding me in their system. When he did, he said he would look into the problem and call me back quickly. One and half hours later I called them again. Got a lady this time. She informed me that they had been having trouble with the Post Office delivering their products. She then said she would connect me with the first guy I spoke with. I ended up being sent to another lady. She was able to find me in their system immediately.? She told me they had been having trouble getting orders filled.? She then told me the first guy I spoke with had instructed that the order be re-picked and re-shipped. 20 minutes later the first guy finally called back. He said the order was being re-picked and a supervisor was having the order shipped by priorty mail. The end result of these confusing and conflicting excuses was, they were out of one item. On their website the out of stock notification wasn't this on this item at the time I placed the order or when the check cleared. They did include a refund with the order, as a result of this I'll try them one more time next year, but will monitor things much closer. Now I will need to find the missing seeds from one of their competors.

This catalogue gives me a ridiculous amount of joy. I am a life-time loyalist in regards to Baker's Creek. AMAZING selection of heirloom, non-GMO seeds, decent prices, and great customer service. AND they donated a bunch of seeds to me several years ago when I was putting in a school garden at the elementary school where I worked. These guys are kind of my heroes.

This is my second year using BCH. I had great results last year, and this year I'm so impressed with the customer service. I placed my order first week of February, and it apparently got lost in the mail. I contacted them, and within a week had my replacement order waiting for me at the post office. Great product, great service.

Great customer experience!

I had never ordered before and recently bought some seeds online from them. I messed up my order and ordered double, so I emailed their customer service to explain my failure at online ordering. They quickly responded and corrected my mistake.

The order arrived in just a few days and was well packaged. The seed packets are very pretty too :)

I will definitely order from this company again.

What a wonderful company! The customer service has been great! Orders are filled quickly! Also if you take the time to put the seeds in a dark, cool place the seeds will sprout even a couple years after they are packed! The difference in these seeds and other places I have tried is amazing! Their fighting against Monsanto and the GMO train makes it even better(yes so we are clear GMOs have caused so much damage that of course won't be reported because of special interests). KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BAKER CREEK! Libetarian for Life!

I love laughing at the few bad reviews this company has received. Some(with the truth attached) are as follows:

"My seeds didn't come up" really? I am sure you didn't have anything to do with that! Also this may be a shock to you BUT some seeds will not germinate! Some people can't have kids unfortunately your parents could....

"I don't like your political stance" Guess what? I am sure Baker Creek and a majority of their patrons don't like your political stance either.

"Your catalog is too fancy" Well considering its a Christmas Wishbook to most of us self-sufficient adults(I know you probably live off the Government so that doesn't count for you!)

"You are out of the seed I wanted" Well guess what? Their seeds are made in China and sold at Walmart(I know you probably didn't know that was possible!) so when they are out they are out. Same when my moms makes a great homemade apple pie. When the last piece is gone its gone! Maybe you can plan ahead for once in you life? Stop being a victim because a company sold their supply.

"You think the world will end because of Obama" Considering Baker Street started 10 years before that guy they call President got elected I think they had their own opinions on the world before that.(You should try forming an opinion on your own and not on what Rachel Maddow says)
Most of feel since the world teeters on cheap oil, a grid that can't handle all the anchor babies on the planet, and a food system that involves way more travel than needed that problems can and will happen. Not to mention the fact when the dollar falls things will get ugly.